Crap! It would seem that LoCO is late to the game when it comes to conducting polls about Eureka’s Measure F. You better believe this is embarrassing to us! Never you fear, though. We plan to make up for lost time today in the dumbest way possible.

Stretch out your voting thumbs, friends. It’s POLLZ time.

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ONE MORE POLL TO GO

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Thank you for playing, Humboldt! As a reward for sticking with us, you have earned a heaping pile of MOO DENG. And don’t forget to vote!  

Four boats sitting in the Marina are abandoned and unloved, but their days of taking up space will soon be over.

The boats, abandoned in the Marina when their owners rented moorage and disappeared, will be destroyed now that Eureka has received a $28,000 grant from the Division of Boating and Waterways, a department of the state park system. The Humboldt Bay Harbor District was also granted $30,000 out of the Surrendered and Abandoned Vessel Exchange program.

People abandon or turn their boats over to the government when they no longer work, or when they simply can’t afford the upkeep. Sometimes people rent moorage and then disappear or die, and the boats are left to rot. Grant recipients use the money to pay third-party contractors to remove and destroy the boats. During their last funding cycle, the Community Services department destroyed six boats. 

Jeff Raimey, the Eureka Community Services Deputy Director, told the Outpost that it’s relatively uncommon for people to give them their boats if they’re not wanted anymore, though if it happens. When it does, they prefer to sell them. Currently, they have no method for people to surrender their boats to them on land because the abandoned boats in the Marina are all they can handle. When they’re destroyed, that service will resume. 

“We’re just trying to be good stewards of the bay,” Raimey said. “We’re working together with the Humboldt Bay Harbor District and some local groups … to deal with these issues, which can build up over time if the abilities aren’t there to get stuff out of the water.”

DOCUMENT:

• “Polling Memo” from FM3

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Press release from the Yes on F campaign:

A recent poll revealed broad community support for housing at the abandoned Jacobs property, emphasizing the need to protect Downtown Eureka’s economic and cultural vibrancy. The data underscores the community’s support for a better plan for Eureka’s future, where housing, economic health, and culture all go hand-in- hand.

Eureka voters surveyed widely agreed that the former Jacobs Middle School property — currently vacant and deteriorating — should become housing rather than California Highway Patrol’s regional headquarters. According to the poll, 60% of respondents believe Jacobs should become housing, while just 22% favor the CHP state building.

Additionally, there is significant support—62%—for keeping Downtown Eureka vibrant as a center for tourism through local shops and restaurants, as well as arts and cultural events, by maintaining parking to accommodate people.

“Our residents clearly support a balanced approach that addresses both housing needs and the health and survival of our small businesses,” said Sue Santsche, owner of The Spa at Personal Choice. “A Yes vote for Measure F is an opportunity to create a thriving downtown that benefits everyone without driving many of us out of business by removing all the parking.”

The poll tested attitudes toward the key issues that a winning Yes on Measure F vote will make possible for Eureka through the Housing for All and Downtown Vitality ballot initiative. FM3, a respected opinion research company, conducted the poll, which surveyed 392 randomly selected Eureka voters in the City of Eureka via telephone and online. The margin of sampling error is +/—5% at the 95% confidence level. The poll was conducted from July 26 to August 25, 2024.

According to its website, Measure F does two essential things for Eureka: it opens up the Jacobs site for hundreds of housing units for working—and middle-income families and ensures downtown maintains accessible parking that businesses need to survive and events need to draw people.

“Putting roofs over heads and keeping businesses and restaurants open means a vibrant future for Eureka, which is exactly what Measure F does,” said Mike Munson, Yes on F campaign co-chair. Munson pointed out that thousands of voters signed petitions to place Measure F on the ballot. “Measure F also is supported by a broad and diverse coalition including two former Eureka mayors, Nancy Flemming and Frank Jager, small business leaders, and voters throughout the city.”

Yes on F co-chair Michelle Costantine added, “We must pass Measure F for more housing and a way to create a promising, vibrant future for Eureka.”

Football practice has always been something of an extreme sport in the Coachella Valley, where temperatures can flare far above 100 degrees for weeks on end.

But a change in California law authored by an Inland Empire lawmaker requires extra monitoring of young athletes on the hottest days and sets strict guidelines for how and when they can play in extreme heat. The rules will affect high school athletics throughout the state and expand safety practices that schools in the desert have observed for years, said Estevan Valencia, athletic director at Palm Desert High.

“We’ve been playing sports for over 100 years out here,” he said. “Our coaches and parents and kids have all grown up in this type of environment.”

Coaches shift practice schedules to early morning or after sunset, he said, or they call for frequent water breaks and monitor athletes for signs of heat stress, such as red faces or dizziness.

“We’ve been doing this for a long time; now it’s just mandated and monitored,” he said.

The California Interscholastic Federation developed the rules to meet standards set in the law by Assemblymember Kate Sanchez, a Rancho Santa Margarita Republican whose district includes parts of western Riverside County. Though the law passed last year, the regulations took effect in July, in time for back-to-school sports and the recent heat wave.

For Rafael Perez, cross-country coach at Norte Vista High in Riverside, it means reigning in his students’ normally far-ranging runs.

“On high heat days, we limit them to a smaller space so they can pause and have water breaks, rather than having them two miles out and having them have heat-related problems where they’re too far for any support,” Perez said.

Practice in the desert

As temperatures soared to 114 degrees in the Coachella Valley earlier this month, coaches moved practices to cooler times or indoors and vigilantly watched what is called the wet bulb, a handheld instrument at the heart of the new rules.

“The wet bulb looks like a cell phone on steroids,” Valencia said. “We turn it on, and it gives us a reading of temperature, humidity and wind.”

Junior student Isidro Leanos runs along a bike path outside Norte Vista High School in Riverside on Sept. 19, 2024. Photo by Carlin Stiehl for CalMatters

Caption: First: The shadows of students as they stretch before cross-country practice. Last: Students run along a bike path outside of Norte Vista High School in Riverside on Sept. 19, 2024. Photos by Carlin Stiehl for CalMatters

The device is designed to approximate the effect of heat on human bodies, accounting for air movement, sunlight and evaporative cooling. At high humidity a wet bulb reading will be at or near air temperature, but in dryer conditions its temperature measurement drops, estimating the effect of evaporation. It was invented in the 1950s to protect Army and Marine Corps service members from heat illness, and it has been used in sports since then.

The wet bulb is a more universally accepted measurement for heat stress than standard readings of air temperature or a heat index, said Dave Gustafson, director of educational services for Desert Sands Unified School District, which includes Palm Desert High. “It’s a bit of a change from what we’ve been used to.”

The new rules flow from those readings, with escalating restrictions on sports practice and competition at higher wet bulb temperatures. The heat thresholds vary by geographic zones. Coastal areas are in Zone 1, with restrictions at lower temperatures than schools in Zone 2, which is slightly inland. Hotter and dryer inland areas — with the highest heat thresholds — are in Zone 3.

Every school district in the Inland Empire falls in Zone 3.

Training in the hot zones

At the first heat threshold of 82.2 degrees Fahrenheit for Zone 3, coaches must provide more frequent water breaks. At the next heat level football players must shed parts of their uniforms. As heat rises further they’re forbidden to wear any protective gear. At the final heat level of 92.1 degrees Fahrenheit, outdoor practice is forbidden entirely for that zone.

That gives Zone 3 schools a little more leeway to hold hot weather practices than the other schools. But many days early in the athletic season still exceed the temperature limit, which means teams must reschedule or take practice indoors.

“We have to be very flexible,” Valencia said.

The law also requires all campuses with interscholastic sports to draw up an emergency action plan in case of sudden cardiac arrest, concussion or heat illness.

Sanchez, who played volleyball from elementary through high school, crafted the law after learning about the numbers of sports-related traumas and deaths, said Griffin Bovée, her Capitol director.

He cited a report by the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury that found 2,878 catastrophic injuries or illnesses in high school and college sports nationwide from 1982 to 2020. That’s about 75 catastrophic injuries or illnesses a year, including two football deaths each year.

“The impetus for the bill was, unfortunately, many instances of student athletes dying from heat stroke,” Bovée said. “Usually the average is two per year who die while playing, which to the assemblywoman is two too many.”

Preventing athletes’ deaths

The Korey Stringer Institute, established in honor of the Minnesota Vikings lineman who died from heatstroke in 2001, wrote in support of Sanchez’ bill, citing heat illness as the third most common cause of school athletic deaths. The institute is at the University of Connecticut.

By far the greatest number of heat-related deaths of high school athletes occurs in football, but basketball, track and field, and cross-country also had significant mortalities.

That’s why when temperatures rise, Perez limits runners to laps on the track or along the campus perimeter where he can keep an eye on them, and he doubles down on water breaks.

Coaches and players say they try to strike a balance between avoiding dangerous heat and preparing for hot weather games. Without some heat conditioning during practice, they’re at risk of illness at competitions.

“In the past when it was really hot, we would still be outside for heat acclimation,” said cross-country team member Natalene Ocampo,15, a sophomore at Norte Vista High School. “But if it was way too hot outside we would go in the weight room.”

Her teammate Liliana Rubalcalva, also a 15-year-old sophomore who is new to cross-country, said even the limited afternoon practices have been a challenge, after her previous habit of solo night runs.

“Starting to run after school because of the heat, the first time I did it, I wasn’t able to do the entire practice,” she said.

Senior student Andrew Hernandez and Junior student Oscar Abad run along a bike path outside Norte Vista High School in Riverside on Sept. 19, 2024. Photo by Carlin Stiehl for CalMatters

Although athletic programs in the Inland Empire and other scorching parts of the state face slightly higher thresholds for heat restrictions than coastal areas, the rules can still leave them at a disadvantage, coaches said.

“Let’s say we have a couple weeks where it’s extremely hot, and we don’t get to practice during the week but play football on Friday night, versus a school in Orange County that has had a full week of practice,” Valencia said, “if you’re not allowed to condition, that could potentially be an issue whether we could compete safely on Friday night.”

To level the playing field, some coaches in extreme heat zones may ask the California Interscholastic Federation to move a sports season back a couple weeks, to avoid the most intense temperatures of summer and early fall, he said.

In the meantime, coaches are watching the wet bulb and pushing practices earlier in the morning and games later in the evening than usual.

“We all love Friday night football games, but recently we’ve had to see start times a lot later than we’re used to,” Valencia said. “But it’s all in the name of keeping our student athletes safe.”

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CalMatters.org is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media venture explaining California policies and politics.

Wayne Hooper passed away peacefully in Eureka on September 17, 2024. He was 92 years old.

While serving in the U.S. Air Force, Wayne married Shirley Hooper in Everett, Washington in 1955. They moved to Eureka in 1957 and raised seven children together.

A prominent figure in local trucking business circles, Wayne operated his Hooper Trucking business for more than 50 years before retiring in 2009. Through his business, Wayne touched many lives, from customers and business partners to the young men who worked for him as mechanics and drivers. Many of Wayne’s employees went on to start businesses of their own with his support and mentorship and frequently returned to his Myrtle Avenue truck yard, known simply as “the shop,” to keep Wayne apprised of their progress or ask for guidance.

Above all, Wayne was known for his honesty, even if it could be brutal. “If you were right, he would back you,” said one longtime friend. “If you were wrong, he would tell you to your face.”

Wayne was also known as a storyteller with a dry wit punctuated by his Southern accent. Known for his ability to “spin a yarn,” Wayne spent many hours swapping stories with friends, employees and business associates standing around the wood stove at “the shop.”

While Wayne was dedicated to his family and business, he also was active socially. He was a member of Masonic Lodge #79 in Eureka for more than 50 years. He served as Master of the Lodge in 1994 and in 2008 received the Hiram Award for outstanding achievement and commitment to the Lodge. Wayne was also a member of The Shrine and president of the mini-car club of the Shriners. Later in life, he also attended weekly breakfasts with a group known as the “Romeos,” for Retired Old Men Eating Out.

Wayne was born September 15, 1932, in Tuckasegee, North Carolina to Jesse Monroe Hooper and Florence Hooper.

He is survived his brother, Frank Hooper, of Tuckasegee, North Carolina; his sister-in-law Marjorie Willey of Snohomish, Washington; his seven children: Joyce Hooper of Prineville, Oregon, Robert Hooper of Eureka, Max and Sandy Hooper of Rancho Palos Verdes, California, Douglas and Barbara Hooper of Eureka, Larry Hooper and Kuldip Singh of Sonoma, California, Kenneth and Patti Hooper of Henderson, Texas, and Kurtis Hooper of Eureka; his 14 grandchildren: Robert Griffin, Christine Hooper Parsons, Bridget Montoya, Amy Dodge, Kendra Shepherd, and Kelly, Kyle, Clint, Logan, Amanda, Eric, Colin, Alyssa and Cassidy Hooper; his 28 great-grandchildren and seven great-great-grandchildren.

He is preceded in death by his wife, Shirley Ann Hooper, who passed away December 10, 2004; his mother and father; his brothers Harold, Jim, Robert, Raymond and George Hooper; his sister Dorothy Long, and his grandson Cory Monroe Hooper.

Services will be held at 12 p.m. Thursday, September 26, 2024, at Sanders Funeral Home, 1835 E Street in Eureka. Burial will be at Ocean View Cemetery, 3975 Broadway in Eureka followed by a reception in the Redwood Acres Home Economics Building, 3750 Harris Street in Eureka.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Shriners Children’s Hospitals.

Mary Julia Micheli Rovai
Mom Mary Nonna

Just as she lived her life, Mary Julia Micheli Rovai gently and peacefully left us Sept. 14, 2024. Born August 16, 1929, she was the youngest of the five children of Angelo and Beppina Antongiovanni Micheli originally from Lucca, Italy. She was preceded in death by her parents and brothers: Orlando, Elio, Dentio and Duilio Micheli and spouses as well as her husband, Louie Rovai and - most difficult for any parent - her daughter, Paula Mary Rovai Miller, and son, Louis Rovai Jr.

Mary Micheli attended and graduated from Rio Dell Elementary (1943) and Fortuna Union High School (1947). Then, as fate would have it, Mom met her husband-to-be when she went to work at the Hiway 101 Grocery Store originally owned and operated by Dad’s parents, Domenico & Angelina Malfatti Rovai. Dad proposed to her while on a July 4th airplane ride over Humboldt County. He would later chuckle and say, “She had to say ‘yes’ or I would’ve had to jump!”. They married at St Patrick’s Catholic Church (Scotia) on November 30, 1947.

Living in the vibrant Wildwood (aka Little Italy) area of Rio Dell, they were surrounded by family and friends and the many thriving businesses, restaurants, bars, gas stations and community events active at the time. Mom supported Dad in the business endeavors he co-owned and operated with his older brother, Julio (L&J’s 101 Club and the Rio Dell Water Works) and his final employment as a letter carrier for the Rio Dell Post Office after the water company was sold to the newly incorporated city of Rio Dell. Their family grew to include four children. Linda Angela, Rita Louise, Paula Mary and Louis Rovai Jr. enjoyed a fun and loving childhood full of music, traveling, riding bikes, picnics in the Redwoods, picking blackberries, BBQs and camping with family and friends as well as those early morning Red Cross swimming lessons in the Eel River - Brrr!

Known for her good cooking - Italian style, of course! - Mom was the heart and soul of the family. With a glass of vino in hand, she could be counted on to pull together a delicious meal using fresh vegetables and herbs from the garden including some of the 100 cloves of garlic always planted shortly after the full moon. Nourishing family & friends was her way of sharing love. Nonna enjoyed teaching her grandkids how to make ravs and around the Holidays her home bustled with activity as the great grandkids got in on the action making Torta, Biscotti and Fritelle - traditional foods brought over from Italy. Mom and Dad kept busy supporting their children’s various sports, music and academic endeavors. Following their son’s many college football games and playing in Bridge Tournaments through the Eureka Bridge Club afforded many traveling opportunities. The highlight of several trips to Europe was spending time with relatives in the beautiful Tuscan countryside of Capannori, Lucca, Italy. Yes, indeed, they spent time under the Tuscan sun.

Mary had a quiet, graceful presence about herself and was athletically inclined as well. She and Dad were members of the bowling league at Mingo’s; the Redwood Empire Golf Club; the Dance Club held up on Monument Rd (their song: Perez Prado’s ‘Cherry Pink & Apple Blossom White’); and participated in the Annual Firemen’s Labor Day Picnic where Mom was the reigning Rolling Pin Throwing Champ. She was still exercising at age 92 - over zoom during the Covid years - with her Senior Exercise Group. She was a founding member of the RDVFD Auxiliary and a member of several card groups including the Sequoia Club. For the past 20 years she looked forward to the weekly companionship of the Hand & Foot card group which included her longtime friends: Arminda Antongiovanni, Lenora Marks, Bette Woodson, Nancy Hayes, Melissa Marks along with Linda Marks and and her sister, Sara Simonson.

Mary is survived by her children: Linda Rovai and Godson Anthony (Kellan) Hickman and children: Gavin & Gianna; Rita (Stan) Johnson and children: Angela Johnson DeMatos and children: Lourenco & Sánta; Amy (Ven) Letter and children: Madisyn, Kobe & Matthew; Kelsey Johnson Van Dissel and son, Kees; son-in-law Kim Miller and children: Amber (Ben) Brown and Theo; Sky (Katee Jones Foxx) Miller and children: Corinne ‘Coco’ Jones and Poppy Miller Foxx. She is also survived by many Micheli, Conner, Antongiovanni, Ambrosini, Dobrec, Swanson, Morgan, Rovai and Malfatti family members as well as the lifetime friendship of the Woodson, Hayes, Ghilarducci, Francesconi, Kurtz, Miller and Hoffman families.

Family and friends are invited to attend Mary’s graveside servIces at St Bernard’s Cemetery on Saturday, September 28 at 2:30 p.m. followed by a Celebration of Life Memorial at the Rio Dell Fire Hall. Please bring photos or memories to share.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donating to Hospice of Humboldt or Visiting Angels both of which provided comforting care and support for our Mom or to a charity of your choosing. Also consider honoring Mary by cooking and enjoying a nourishing meal for yourself, your family and friends-if you do, don’t forget to include that glass of vino! Mom, Mary, Nonna - your kind, sweet Spirit will be missed.

It is with deep sorrow and love we announce the passing of Betty Jean “Jeannie” Medley on August 28, 2024. Jeannie died peacefully in her sleep at home in the midst of family members. Her kindness, strength, and endless love shaped our lives in so many beautiful ways. Jeannie was preceded in death by her parents Jim Giles and Dess Martin, her daughter-in-law Priya Medley, her grandson Russell Taylor, and her great-grandson Silas Vickers.

Betty Jean was born in the Southern California town of Wilmar on January 26, 1937, to James Lamont Giles and Opal Odessa Dockens. She was loved and cherished by her parents, older brother Jim and younger sisters Alice and Doris.

Betty Jean and family lived in the Las Vegas area for a few years. She got to ride home in a police car when she missed the bus after kindergarten. Her older brother Jim couldn’t understand why she was so distressed after such a grand opportunity. They all soon moved back to Southern California and Betty Jean decided “Jeannie” was a better fit. In the fourth grade, Jeannie took dance lessons at her best friend’s mom’s studio. Her dad Jim used to dive off the Long Beach pier and would also take Jeannie “way out” past the waves on long swims.

When Jeannie was a young teenager, she loved going to the “Cliffie Stone Hometown Jamboree,” a Country music radio and television show broadcast from the Legion Stadium in El Monte, California.

Jeannie was a Dancer at El Monte High School and during her Senior year, in the Spring of 1954, she danced a solo, the “Tahitian Conga”, during the Student Union Benefit Show. She later wrote next to her name in the program - “boy was I scared.”

Jeannie met “Dee” on a blind date, they hit it off and began to spend lots of wonderful times together - they were often at the beach together and with their friends.

Jeannie graduated from El Monte High School in 1954, and moved to Utah to go to Brigham Young University. Jeannie experienced some feelings of “homesickness” and her High School Biology teacher, Ruth Durham, wrote her a letter including these encouraging words, “Be your sweet, unselfish Jeannie and you will make a place for yourself in the hearts of all you meet. One of your strongest characteristics is your high degree of social development. You are at home with everyone and make them happy to be with you”. Dee apparently agreed and sold his car and moved to Provo. Dee and Jeannie’s romance continued. They both relocated to Southern California after a year at BYU. Dee, ever the teaser, asked for his fraternity pin back; paused for effect- and then offered Jeannie an engagement ring and proposal for marriage. Dee, Jeannie, and both their parents all traveled to Salt Lake City and were married on September 2, 1955, in the beautiful pioneer-era Mormon Temple.

Dee and Jeannie made their home in Southern California. They lived in a small home near Dee’s parents in Temple City. Dee began a seven year school journey preparing for a career in dentistry and Jeannie made the small home a slice of heaven for the fast expanding family. Jeannie would often refer to these days of young children as some of the most rewarding of her life. Dee had what seemed like a crazy idea to take the whole family camping, “it’ll be fun,” he said. Turns out it was, and the family of 7 kids (and babysitter) all piled into the 1963 Volkswagen beetle and headed out to the desert.

Dee graduated from Dental school in 1968 and the family moved to West Covina. Jeannie loved their new residence and helped create a loving supportive home for the whole crew. Dee and Jeannie made lots of friends in their church congregation and community. Jeannie was always involved with the youth group activities her children attended. They continued to take their family camping, with the new addition of the family “dune buggy” — the converted 1963 VW that seated two adults and eight kids. The family joined an off road club and went on regular outings. If the dirt road was too steep for the well laden buggy, Jeannie and the eight kids would pile out and walk while Dee navigated the 40-horsepower rig and met them at the top.

In 1978, an opportunity came to relocate to Humboldt County. Dee and Jeannie left their beloved home and friends in Southern California and moved to Bayside, Humboldt County, California. Dee and Jeannie spent the next 46 years creating an amazing home and family environment in the beautiful redwood setting on Washington Creek. Dee built zip lines, rope swings and “Papa’s Pond.” Jeannie organized incredible family reunions, cooked and baked, decorated their home with needlepoint and other art, loved their grandchildren, and kept Dee on schedule building and making unique Christmas gifts for their grandchildren. Dee and Jeannie worked together and remodeled and customized their home. Jeannie partnered with Dee at their Arcata dental practice for many years, she was the office manager, dental assistant and made appointments. She was also Dee’s stress manager, as on Friday’s she would keep particularly difficult Monday schedules secret so Dee could enjoy the weekend!

When the kids left home Dee and Jeannie kept active together. They continued to travel to Southern Utah and off road travel through the scenic red rock canyon country. Dee and Jeannie owned a fifth wheel travel trailer for a time and made trips across the USA. They started backpacking together in the slot canyon area of Escalante, Utah. They hiked a total of over 800 miles over approximately 20 years.

Dee and Jeannie enjoyed their retirement years together. Their Bayside home was the scene of yearly July family reunions. Jeannie was the heart of the matter and made everyone feel loved and valued. She made a quilt for every new grandchild born and sent birthday cards to all generations of her family. Jeannie always knew the life situations of all her family. She was involved and interested in the details of their lives. She treated all her grandchildren as if they were her favorite.

Jeannie had to slowly give up doing the things she loved as Parkinsons and old age took their toll. Children and grandchildren continued to visit to spend time with their wonderful “Grama Jeannie”. Sooner than we liked, family members were coming to say good bye. Our family is deeply grateful to all the caregivers that provided such loving assistance to Jeannie. Thank you Hospice, Visiting Angels, and Bill R. We are grateful beyond words for what you have done.

Jeannie is survived by her husband Woodruff Dee Medley, their eight children - Ric (Mary) Medley, Cindie (Mike) Stowe, Mike (Lola) Medley, Julie (Mike) Turner, Debbie (Bill) Taylor, Cathie (Scott) Price, Rob (Carmen) Medley, John (Val) Medley, 36 grandchildren, and 59 great-grandchildren.

A Celebration of Life will be held for Jeannie on October 5, 2024, at 11 a.m. at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2806 Dolbeer Street, Eureka, California. Available by Zoom on request.